Valve for steam-engines



(No Model.) 2 sheets-Sheet 1.

A. L. IDB. VALVE EOE STEAM ENGINES. No. 447,490. Patented Mar. 3, 1891.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. L. IDE. VALVE EOE STEAM ENGINES.

Patented Mar. 3,1891.

16p@ www A UNITED STATES ATENT Fries.

ALBERT L. IDE, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

VALVE FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,490, dated March 3,1891.

Application filed September 5 1890. Serial No. 364,046. (No model.)

.To all whom zr may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. IDE, a resident of Springfield, in thecounty oi' Sangamon and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Valves for Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

' This invention relates to improvements in valves for steam-engines;and it consists in the matters hereinafter described, and pointed out inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a horizontal longitudinalsection of a steamchest provided with a slide-Valve embodying` myinvention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same on line 2 2, Fig. l.Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detailside elevation of the slide-valve. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectionshowing the valve in a changed position from that shown in Fig. l. Fig.G is a similar section showing still another position of the valve. Fig.7 is a similar view illustrating a modified form of valve.

In said drawings, A indicates the enginecylinder, B the steam-chest, andB the steamsupply pipe.

-C indicates the valve-seat, provided with steam-ports c c',communicating with the 0pposite ends of the cylinder A and provided witha central exhaust-port c2.

D indicates the slide-valve, D the valvestem connected therewith, and Ea valve-plate arranged upon the side of said valve D opposite to thevalve-seat C and parallel therewith.

As shown in said drawings, the slide-valve D is generally of flat orgridiron form, as shown more particularly in Figs. 3 and et, andconsists of two parallel side pieces d d, two end cross-bars d d2, andtwo intermediate cross-bars d3 di. As a detail of construction in theparticular valve show-n, said valve is provided with a central tubularpart D2, through which passes the valve-stem D', said tubular partaffording a brace to connect the crossbars of the valve, and therebygive strength and rigidityto the same.

The valve D, made as above described, is located in contact with thevalve-seat C, and operates in connection therewith and also with thestationary valve-plate E, which is sustained within the steam-chestopposite to the valve-seat C, and is provided with a flatbearing-surface E', which is in contact with the outer side of the valveD. 'lhe valveplate E is conveniently held in position by means ofinwardly-p ro j ectin g dan ges ee,which rest at their inner edgesagainst the valveseat C at opposite sides or edges of the valve D, asshown more' particularly in Fig. 2, said Valve-plate E being arranged tobear at its side edges against the side walls of the steamchest, wherebythe said valve-plate is held from shifting sidewise, as clearly shown inthe drawings. A pin or stud e, Fig. 2, is inserted in the valve-seat C,and enters a recess in the flange e of the valve-plate, to hold thelatter from shifting endwise or longitudinally.

E? is a lspring interposed between the outer wall or cover of the steamchest and the valve-plate E, to hold the latter in operative position.The spring E2 does'not act against steam-pressure in holding thevalve-plate against the valve-seat C, inasmuch as the steam-pressu recomes outside ot said valvepla'te and tends to press the same againstthe valve-seat. Said spring E2 enables the valveplate to yieldoutwardly, so as to relieve the parts from strain in case of anaccumulation of water in the cylinder, thereby avoiding danger ofbreakage of the parts by the compression of the water in either end ofthecylinder at such time. The valve-plate E is made shorter than thelength of the steamchest, and the end or outer cross-bars d cl2 of thevalve E are arranged at such distance apart, and the valve is movedthrough such distance that said cross-bars are carried alternately pastthe ends ot the valve-plate or outwardly from beneath the same, so as t0admit steam from the steam-chest between the valve-plate and thevalve-seat to the steam-ports c c. The inner or intermediate cross-barscl3 d* of the valve are arranged at such distance apart that they aremoved alternately away from the surface of the valveseat to a pointopposite the exhaust-port c2, thereby leaving open the space between theIOO valveseat and the valve-plate for the passage ol' steam from one ofthe steam-ports c c to the exhaust-port c2.

In order that steam may enter at both sides or edges of the endcross-bars ot' the valve when the latter are moved outwardly past theend of the valve-plate, as above described, the valve-seat C is made ofthe same length as the valve-plate, so that spaces are lett between theends of the valvc-seat and the ends of the steam-chest, and the parts ofthe wall of the steam-chest adjacent to the ends of the valve-seat arerecessed, or, in other words, the valve-seat is elevated above theadjacent parts of the wall of the steanrchest. This construction enablesthe steam to pass around the said end crossbars, thereby affording asteampassage of twice the area, with the Sallie movement of the valve asis afforded in case the steam enters at 011e side only of saidcross-bar. For a s imilar purpose the valve-plate E is provided with acentral recess e2 ot' the same length and width as the exhaust-port c2and arranged opposite the latter. Said recess allows the exhaust-steamto pass around on both sides of the inner crossbars di d4 in its passagefrom the ports c c to the exhaust-port c2, thereby affording a largearea for the exit of steam with a small movement of the valve.

The valve-plate E is herein shown as provided on its inner or bearingsurface near its ends with two transversely-arranged recesses cis e4,made of the same length and width as the steam-ports c c and locatedopposite the latter. Bythe presence of said recesses in thebearing-surface of the valve-plate the lat ter is made to correspondexactly with the bearing-surface of the valveseat, thus insuring anequal steam-pressure on opposite sides of the valve and the perfectbalancing ot the latter. l

As a separate and further improvement, the valve-plate E is providedwith a steampassage E3, extendinglongitudinally through the body of saidplate and opening at its ends through the inner or bearing surface ofthe plate near the ends of the latter. The said passage E3 is designedto aitord an additional area ot' passage tor the inflow of steam to thecylinder-ports, and for this purpose its ends are so located withreference to the ends of the valve-plate that when the cross-barat oneend of slide-valve begins to leave the edge of said plate the cross-barat the opposite end of the valve will begin to pass from over the end ofsaid passage, thereby admitting steam through said passage to the portsc c at the same time that steam is admitted to said' steam-port aroundthe edges ofthe outwardlymoving cross-bar of the valve.

The operation of the valve will be more clearly understood by referenceto Figs. l, 5, and 6.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the valve D is in position for the passage oflive steam through the port c to the cylinder A. At this time thecross-bar di? of the valve l) stands outside of and free from thevalve-scat C and the valveplate E, so that steam is l'ree to pass fromthe steam-chest around both sides ot' said bar (l2 to the space betweensaid valveplate E andthe valve-seat C and into the port C', as beforedescribed. At this time the intermediate cross-bar d* nearest thecross-bar d2 stands between the steam-port c and the exhaustport c2,thus closing Vthe space between said ports, while the external cross-bard at the opposite end of the valve stands between the port c and the endoi' the valve-seat, thus closing the space between the said valveseatand the valve-plate E at this point. Ex hauststeam is at this time freeto pass from the said port c to the exhaust-port c2 through the spacebetween the valve-plate and the valve-seat, the cross-bar d3 at. thistime being located opposite the exhaust-port and in position to allowthe free passage of steam around both sides of said bar into said port.

Fig. 5 shows the valve at the limit of its stroke opposite to that shownin Fig. l, live steam at this time passing through the port c to thecylinder, the exhaust passing through portc to the exhaust-port crz inthe manner illustrated. v

Fig. 6 illustrates an intermediate position ot the parts when the valveis being shifted from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig.l. This figure shows the exhaust-port as already partially opened toallow the passage of exhaust-steam from the port c to the exhaust-portc2 by the movement of the intermediate cross-bard3 from contact with thevalveseat C and the bearing-surface E in that part of the same betweenthe steamport c and the exhaust-port c2, thereby allowing steam to passaround both sides of the bar d3 to the exhaust-port. Admission ot' steamwill begin as soon as the cross-bar d2 passes from between the surfacesof the valveseat and the valve-plate.

'lhe passage E3 in the valve-plate E affords an additional or increasedarea for the passage of live steam to the cylinder during the opening otthe steam-ports, the ports or openings in the face of the valve-plate Eat the ends of said passage being so arranged that one of the endcross-bars, as d', will begin to uncover said passage at one end of thevalve at the same timethat the cross-bar (Z2 at the opposite end of thevalve begins to leave the edges of the valve-seat and the valve-plate.This is shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, from which it will be clearlyseen that a slight further movement of the valve D toward the right handwill lbring the crossbar d past the edge of the opening of the passageE3 at the same time that the inner margins of the cross-bar d2 passbeyond the edges of the valve-plate and the valve-seat. It will ofcourse be seen that one end of the passage E3 is always in communicationwith the steam-port into which live steam is about to be admitted whenthe other end of said IOO IIO

IIS

passage is being opened for the admission of steam from the steam-chest.This passage beingI of considerably less width than the openin gafforded by thecross-bar d or d when the valve is at either limit of itsthrow, said passage will commonly be of use only when the engine isworking at short stroke, it being obvious that when the valve is movedthroughout the full length of its stroke, or nearly so, the steam-inletspace afforded between each cross-bar rl or (Z2 and the adjacent ends ofthe valve-plate and the valve-seat will be as great or greater thanrequired to admit all the steam that can pass through the steamports.

It will of course be understood that the desired area for the admissionof steam to the cylinder may be provided without employing the passageE3 by making the valve D of sufficient width forthe purpose; but forcompactness of construction and to avoid the objectionable featureswhich would be connected with a very broad valve said passage isemployed.

I am aware that valve-plates have been heretofore employed, the samebeing arranged parallel with the surface of the valve-Seat and the valvebeing arranged to move between the surface of said plate and the seat;butin all these prior forms of construction the valve-plates have beenprovided with perforations or ports extending' through them from face toface, through which steam passes to the valve when the ports in thevalve coincide with those in the valve-plate. It is obvious that in thisform of construction the advantage of increased area for the admissionof steam such as is provided for in my improved form of construction isentirely absent.

rIhe valve D (shown in the accompanying drawings) is arrangedvertically, the steamchest being placed at one side of the cylinder, sothat the weight of said valve comes entirely upon the lower edgethereof.

As a further and separateimprovement applicable to valves of thischaracter when arranged in the manner shown, I place between the loweredge of the valve and the supporting-surface ofthe steam-chest adjacentto it one or more anti-friction rollers, which sustain the weight of thevalve, and thereby avoid the frictional resistance which would resultfrom the sliding contact of the lower edge of the valve with the surfaceby which lthe same is sustained. As illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, two anti-friction rollers F F are employed, said rollers beinglocated in notches or recesses ff, formed in the lower flange e of thevalve E, so that the rollers rest upon the bottom wall of thesteamchest. In this construction the rollers are conveniently made ofthe same diameter as the thickness of the flange e. The rollers F F(shown in the drawings) are of cylindric form and are made of suchlength that their flatend faces come flush with the side faces ot' thevalve D. This particular construction is not, however, essential, andthe rollers employed may be of spherical instead of cylindric form, andthe bearing-surfaces therefor may be arranged otherwise than in themanner described.

I am aware that rollers have been hereto- 'fore employed in connectionwith slide-valves,

'said rollers being arranged between the bearing-face of the valve andits seat and adapted to prevent friction between said surfaces vor beingarranged upon the surface of the valve opposite or remotefrom the seatand adapted lo take the lift of the steam and prevent the valve frombeing raised from its seat. By my improved construction, however, thevalve is entirely balanced, and there is no necessity for rollers orother anti-friction devicesbetween the bearing-surfaces; but the valvebeing arranged vertically and its weight belng supported entirely uponits narrow lower edge, I provide the rollers, as shown, to prevent thefriction between the support for the valve and the lower edge of thevalve, which arises from the use of a relatively large and heavy valvehaving a narrow bearing-edge.

Some of the features of the valve shown may be used with advantagewithout other features shown and described, it being obvious that undersome circumstances the reduction in first cost of the engine orcheapness of fuel will warrant the omission of some of the novelfeatures herein shown, even at a loss of the advantages gained by thepresence ICO of such features--as, for instance, the cond struction ofthe valve-plate shown in Fig. 7 may be used, in which said valve-plateis formed without the passage Eg.

In the flat valve I) shown in Fig. 7 the advantage of a double admissionof steam is obtained-that is to say, a relatively large opening for thepassage of the steam is afforded by a short movement of the valve; butthis favorable result is obtained to a greater degree when the passageE3 in the valve-plate is employed, such passage obviously affording atriple instead of a double opening for the admission of steam withoutincreasing the stroke of the valve, with obv1- -ous advantages in steameconomy and consequent saving of fuel.

The dat gridiron or barred valve,combined with a valve-seat andimperforate valve-plate, as herein described, may obviously be usedeither in single-acting engines or by being combined with another valveof any desired form of construction may be adapted for use in a compoundengine.

The valve construction herein described and shown is the same as thatillustrated in another application filed by me on June l0, 1890, SerialNo. 3545927, for improvements in compound engines.7`

I claim as my invention- IZO I. The combination, with an engine-cylinderand a stationary chest having a valveseat provided with steam-ports nearits ends and a. central exhaust-port, of a flat reciprocating valveprovided with four transverse parallel bars and a stationary impertoratevalve-plate arranged parallel with the valveseat, said valveseat beingmade shorter than the steam-ehestand the outer cross-bars of the valvebeing located at such distance apart that at each limit of the movementof the valve the cross-bar at one end of the valve seat havingsteam-ports near its ends and a central exhaust-port, of a i'lat valveprovided with four transverse parallel bars and animperforateValve-plate arranged parallel with the valve-seat, said valveplate andthe valveseat being made shorter than the interior of the steam-chest,and the valveseat being raised. at its ends above the adjacent wall ofthe steam-ehest, and the exterior cross-bars ot' the valve beingdisposed at sueh distauee apart that at each limit of the movement ofthe valve the cross-bar at one end of the valve will stand outside oi'or beyond the said plate, so as to admit steam from the chest to theadjacent steam-port, while the cross-bar at the opposite end of thevalve will stand between the end of the plate and the adjacentsteam-port, so as to eut oft the flow ot' steam to the latter, the saidvalve-plate being provided with a longitudinal passage opening at itsends at the inner or bearing face of the plate adjacent to the endsthereof, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

AL EERl L. IDE.

lVitnesses:

Il. L. IDE, I). E. BLAKE.

